Airport scanners catch couple smuggling baby in hand luggage

An Egyptian husband and wife were caught trying to smuggle their baby into the United Arab Emirates in their hand luggage. Airport security detected the five-month-old baby with their X-ray scanners.

The Daily Mail reports the Egyptian couple arrived at Sharjah International Airport on Friday night, but were held at immigration because the child did not have a visa. According to English Al-Arabiyah, airport authorities allowed them to stay until the visa office opened on Sunday. But the couple decided on Saturday morning to smuggle the baby into the UAE by stashing him in a bag after the staff that stopped them ended their duty shift.

However, security officials noticed the outline of the baby on their X-ray scanner screen.

The Sun reports the couple have been charged with endangering the life of the baby who was exposed to radiation from the scanners. According to a Sharjah Police spokesman: “They were risking the life of the baby. They said in an interrogation they'd resorted to sneaking him through inside a bag because he did not have a passport or visa and they wanted to have him with them in the UAE.”

The Sun reports another official said: “When customs officials saw the baby inside the bag at the X-ray scanner, they were stunned. This machine is very dangerous for anyone, let alone a baby in a bag to pass through. A case will now be raised against the mother and father - they both have visas to come to the UAE, but they have put the life of their child at risk."

The Daily Mail reports that the couple had previously stayed in the UAE illegally but left because the woman was pregnant and wanted to give birth at home in Egypt.

It is unclear how the child was placed in the aircraft in Egypt without a passport.